Page 86 of Stolen By the Enemy

I want the house to be her sanctuary, an escape from the ugliness of our world whenever she feels like she needs it.

For now, we have the sand, the sea, and the sunsets to enjoy together.

***

My week has been going suspiciously well, with all our runs happening smoothly and no one fucking up.

I’m out to fetch a suit and pick up a gift for Grazia, because I am still amazed that she even said yes.

And even now that she’s free, the sex has been amazing, showing me that she wasn’t just faking it to trick me into letting her escape.

I’ve asked her about her dress, but she’s hoping to find one with her family, even though they have yet to reply to the invitation.

I haven’t even heard from them about the deal, but I have my contacts moving forward on our plan.

And if this wedding helps to bring our families together, it will only make us all richer.

When my phone rings, and I see it’s Luca Baldini, I sigh in defeat.

The easy and good times never last very long.

I think about ignoring him at first. Perhaps I’ll call him back when I’m less likely to ruin my day by speaking to him.

But on the fifth ring, I figure I may as well get it over with.

“Luca,” I answer, my voice sounding as tired as I feel.

I am not in the mood for this man’s attitude today. If he starts a fight, I know that I’ll just hang up on him.

There isn’t much else I can do from so far away, although I would still like to teach Luca a lesson and just land one punch.

“Marco. I’ve just received an invitation for a wedding, that has your name and my sister’s on it.”

He’s on the brink of yelling, but containing himself well. So I decide to continue speaking to him, for now.

“Can you tell me what the fuck is going on? Is this your next big plan? Force my sister to marry you so that you can get your dirty fingers in the Baldini pot? Do you think this is the next best way to steal our money and business? I can assure you, Marco, this isn’t going to work the way you think it will.”

He’s treading dangerously close to me exploding on him, but I take a breath and try to reason with him, for Grazia’s sake only.

“Firstly, Luca, some respect when you speak to me would be appreciated. And secondly, no. This is not part of any kind of plan or scam. Your sister and I are getting married because we want to. It actually has nothing to do with business or you, believe it or not. I’m not forcing her. She was proposed to, and she said yes. And I thought you would want to be there for her. She would very much like for her family to show up and celebrate with her. Even though you deserted her here.”

I remain calm to avoid causing any more drama in this situation, but I want him to know that I’m not taking any shit.

I know Grazia wants her brothers to attend the wedding, and I don’t want her to be sad on her special day.

So, if I have to kiss Luca’s ass for a day, I will do it for her.

But if he continues to provoke me, I won’t have an issue shutting him up. I only worry about what that will do to what Grazia and I are busy building.

Would she still want to be my wife if Luca and I simply can’t get along?

Luca is quiet for a few minutes, probably digesting what I’ve said, then he speaks.

“If this is true, then we will come to support our sister. But I need to speak to her first, to know it’s not a trick. And if I find out that you’re forcing her, I will personally come and do much worse to you, Marco.”

I give him the number for the phone inside the house, where Grazia is.

“Before making threats, you should get the right story, Luca. But I am not here to fight with you now. Please do speak to her. Your sister misses you and would like to fix things with her family. I am only interested in making her happy.”

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